Even if I'd never played the game before and found the prospect bewildering, I could have used the extensive in-game tutorial to get to grips with it. Or, as an experienced player, I could have noticed how the new features subtly present themselves over the course of several weeks, inexorably sucking you in to a parallel universe. [PC Zone]

It's more inventive, and more entertaining, than "Doom." I know they've had long enough to get it right (but so have many others, who've tried and failed). [PC Zone]

A bona-fide classic: a technological marvel that's as rewarding as it is beautiful. For the time being at least, it's the beating heart of the first-person shooter. [PC Zone]

Battlefield 3 then, from a campaign perspective, delivers the goods and then some. It's not perfect, but it's bloody close... infinitely more impressive than Bad Company 2 and irrefutable proof that DICE have now firmly stepped into the hallowed ranks of the absolute top-tier developers. COD or not, this deserves a place in your collection - not to mention a place in your heart.

Are we too battle-hardened to sense the full impact of Vin's Xbox debut? More likely the game isn't packing quite the dynamite as its potential suggested.

The greatest driving game ever. On any console, computer, or arcade cabinet, ever. Even with all the problems, nothing even comes close to matching the sheer adrenaline GT4 offers when you're chucking a 700bhp beast around one of the game's beautifully crafted courses. As a game, GT4 is staggeringly huge, looks and sounds amazing, and features so many cars you're unlikely to ever see them all. [JPN Import]

An impeccably presented hour gobbler and we love it all the more for that.

A disappointing level of freedom then, a choice of either hand-holding or hardcore clue hunting and a typical Rockstar lull in the middle is what holds L.A Noire back from being absolute genius. Thankfully the experience, the story and the characters do more than enough to entertain during the simpler gameplay points in a way that no game has previously.

It's a finely-crafted slice of the Mario as you know and love it, with so many extra superb bells and whistles, it'd still scare the pants of the hard-of-hearing. If that's not recommendation enough, then we don't know what is.

A stunningly-executed, modern-day Super Metroid.

Modern Warfare has always relied on smoke and mirrors. What surprises us is how ably the conjurers perform despite the much publicised Infinity Ward departures. After many months of doom-mongering it's great to find a game as confident and capable as those that preceded it.

Gearbox's refusal to arm us with anything other than historically accurate kit is also incentive to take it slow and think. Medi-pacs are non-existent and no, you don't miraculously heal over time or stumble across a BFG. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

Grumpier gamers will find fodder to gnaw upon, but the fact remains that it's a prima donna of a game that more than succeeds in its attempts to scare and scintillate. Despite everything, I adore it - and strongly suspect you will too. [PC Zone]

Dazzlingly clever and way left of field - if you want a platformer where collecting 99 gems for an extra life actually means drilling through someone's psyche to their darkest secrets, you're in for a treat. Bizarre, but beautiful. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

On its own, then, BioShock 2 is a brilliant, if not-particularly-brave shooter story. But as a complement to the exciting and iconic original, it's a predictable but technically excellent second chapter to an unmissable FPS pairing.

Things really rumble in two-player mode, where bouts evolve into ridiculously tense face-offs more like chess than a messy scrap outside the pub. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

It's not quite the untouchable dream game we were hoping for, but it's still the best Xbox 360 racer you can buy right now. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

Fog, rain and lightning effects not only look nice, but also affect how you play - especially when you try your first grenade attack in the middle of a thunderstorm.

If there is any justice in the world Shogo will be looked back on as one of the best 3D games of its time. Personally speaking, apart from "Half-Life", Shogo is the best game I've played this year.

The GTA formula we all know and love has been flawlessly integrated in this handheld edition, complete with an insane amount of new story content padded with hours of potential car chase action. [PSW]

Grumbles are few. There's a bit too much to-ing and fro-ing between your hideout and each objective, especially when you're forced to backtrack from one end of a level to the base in order to switch to another character. [PSW]

Groundbreaking in graphical and audio terms. It's just that the combat and the mission pacing come across as slightly dated and they're two very important factors. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

What makes the campaigns such a joy are the masses of scenarios they contain - some 130 in all. Practically every individual territory now has its own associated mission, giving each game a unique flavour.

Like its predecessor, Sid Meier's game effortlessly takes the best of every style of gaming and mixes it into a consistent and enduringly charming whole. Certainly there are games with more strategy, and others with more action, but few, if any, can claim to be as breathlessly easy to enjoy. [PC Zone]

FIFA is quickly becoming the hardest franchise to review in the entirety of the video game galaxy. Basically, it's been making us look like mugs ever since FIFA 09.

A fast, fun, finished arcade racer that's only made better with friends.

On pure graphics alone though, it's a massive step forward and is easily one of the best-looking sports games currently available. Add all the other improvements, plus the wealth of new boxers, gear and venues and Fight Night Round 2 is a super heavyweight of a sequel. [PSW]

It's an enormous game and works brilliantly, allowing you to earn points to customise your character and unlock all the courses. SSX Tricky makes the perfect companion to Xbox's other, far more serious, snowboarding game, Amped.

For £7.99 or 800 Microsoft Points then this is quite the package. Undead Nightmare brings a whole new, chunky single player campaign with all the great Red Dead qualities (and some of its niggles).

But perhaps the most significant letdown is the AI. While it hasn't actually got any less advanced since the previous game, it does give that impression, having been watered down in response to criticism that the original game was too difficult.

Vertical shooting at its best. A must-buy for fans of the dying shoot-'em-up genre but only if you can handle extreme difficulty levels.

You have to appreciate Heavy Rain for what it is; a fantastic and absorbing narrative, and a bold new venture in interactive storytelling. Not Shenmue.

Unsuitable however, is the camera angle used to fight bossman 'Ganryu'. It looks great to watch, but to control your character from the back is immensely frustrating, especially when the boss character is cheaper than a tupenny whore.

Battles can take upwards of an hour and the micro management can take as long as you're prepared to invest. It's all about longevity and depth, and only you'll know if this is for you.

NSMBW is a stunning game in single-player, and a chaotic barrel of light-hearted laughs in multiplayer, accessible to beginners while truly challenging to long-term fans. Well done, Nintendo.

What makes BG&E really fun is the way you use your camera to gather information and earn cash. It works very much like Samus' Scan Visor in "Metroid Prime," but it's faster and, if anything, easier to use.

The game's skilful courses and challenging, inventive boss battles are a breath of fresh air amongst Wii's all-to-easy competition - and help DKCR remain a pleasingly faithful instalment in one of gaming's greatest ever series.

It's the game's lack of originality that proves the real disappointment.

The combat system is wonderful, the characters are as compelling as ever and there's a running theme of incest amongst the upper classes. You couldn't ask for much more from an adventure game, really.

A thrilling and brutal single-player campaign that's one of the series' best. But will you be blown away by multiplayer the fourth time around?

Luckily, it's dead simple. When it comes to squad-level infantry manoeuvres, tactics have changed little in the last 2,000 years (so we're told), and they're almost insultingly basic. [PC Zone]

A superb quest that doesn't rewrite the rules but delivers another engrossing Zelda adventure. If you own a DS, buy it.

The handling is superb, weighty and satisfying with every last handbrake turn. The crash damage and overall visual detail is of the highest calibre in games today, and there are so many events you'll be busy for hours. Codemasters got it right, this time.

Once upon a time there was a boy called Colin who liked cars. He liked them so much that when he grew up he drove them at high speed under strict competition conditions. Perhaps driven by rage at his unfortunate choice of name, he drove so fast that he was crowned Champion of the World.

Well, who'd a thunk it? Ubisoft's horrible jumble of body parts in a genuinely wonderful game. Better dust off those reflexes: 2D platforming is back.

One of the most impressive and rewarding expansion packs of recent years, matching and occasionally even outstripping the quality of its outstanding parent. But it could be a fully immersive VR porn sim for all you care - you'll still buy "Doom 3" instead.

Single-player lacks the original's polish, but two diverse faction additions mean multiplayer's even more addictive than before.

Resistance 2's single-player is a patchy mix of some rather spectacular set pieces with otherwise underwhelming, run-of-the-mill shooting action that just doesn't rise to the standards set by today's best shooters. But it has to be commended for its massive multiplayer games and efforts in co-op.

Every bit as bowel-rupturingly tense and terrific as the Xbox version. Sneaking has never been so freaking fantastic. A supreme stealth master!

This is a solid game with solid platforming, fun gunplay and well thought-out puzzle design, with bags of character. But it suffers, we think, mainly from the progression that games have made over the past two years.

If you played the original to near death, then forgot about it, Shivering Isles is the perfect stepping stone back into what's essentially an incredibly involving adventure game.

Sup Com is very much a PC gamer's beast, and the supernova-sized war games may prove a little too demanding for anyone other than accomplished RTS players (our heads still hurt from the last LAN skirmish). If only for its sheer scale and battle mechanics, this should be sampled by every RTS fan with a graphics card - and indeed, mental powers - that are up to the task.

Legends is exactly what you need on PSP - short, punchy, high-speed action presented in perfect style on the handheld wonder. It plays like a supercharged hybrid of Burnout, Burnout 2 and Burnout 3, features the best elements of each and goes like mad on the mini screen. [PSW]

In truth there wasn't much wrong with last season's ESPN NHL Hockey, and the minimal changes aren't enough to justify buying NFL 2K5 as well. [PSW]

Infinity Ward wants screaming, smoke, flying bodies, chaos and you running around with goggle-eyes, jaw-hanging and tongue lolling, wondering where the next hail of bullets is going to come from. It doesn't want to make you feel cool, it wants to pulverise you. [PC Zone]

It's a solid shooter that ticks all the boxes and is fun to play. Just don't expect it to blow you away or give you a good idea about what PS3 can do.

But, and this is the worst of it, EA has once again cut the Live element from the European release, leaving Madden fans in the UK without the opportunity to play online. Why? As the best and only official NFL game for 2006, why drop such a huge element for European Live subscribers? [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

It's sturdy, it's explosive, and in short bursts it's a stupidly enjoyable, C4-charged rolling death machine of a GTA-beater. Beyond that though it never stretches itself to the obvious cult classic it could have so easily become. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

The graphics are gorgeous, with a loving amount of detail, but the perspective and colouring may give them a dated, 16-bit feel.

More niggly than the GC version and less accessible. If you're prepared to give it some attention you'll be rewarded with a deep and challenging experience. If you want an easier Tony Hawk game try the GameCube ones.

Kratos is on fine form, but still refuses to do anything other than tear things to pieces.

Amazing physics playground with totally engrossing gameplay.

We love this game for all the reasons a lot of people will hate it: the wacky characters, the 'holy grail' nature of the combat system to be mastered by only the very best players, of which we admit we are not worthy (yet).

Soul Calibur III's crown jewels - its unrivalled blend of accessibility and multilayered combat - remain as dazzling as ever. If anything, it's a touch faster and smooher, and maybe even sharper. [PSW]

Sure, it's not all perfect - there's still only a finite number of things to do in a day and the upper screen doesn't serve much purpose beyond a dedicated place to put sky - but you'll be so powerless to abandon Wild World's idyllic charms, you really won't care.

DmC is a superb reboot that delivers on all fronts, and does it with aplomb. For the first time in ages, we're excited to see where Devil May Cry goes next.

You'll be hard pressed not to play this with a cheesy grin on your face and your tongue sticking out (the controls are a little tricky to get to grips with). We Love Katamari - you'll love it just as much as we do. [PSW]

Not an action RPG revolution, but a solid game set in a gorgeous world.

Imaginative and brilliant - exactly as every Legend Of Zelda game should be. The GBA-connectivity angle just makes things even more magical.

Those who've been dying for a proper RPG on GameCube have just had their prayers answered. If you've never played through a game of this sort before.

With Turbine's long-standing MMORPG expertise powering proceedings and one of the most welcoming communities in gaming, LOTRO presents a stunning and evocative world of Tolkien magic to explore - if you're any kind of fan, it would seem pretty much an essential purchase.

Obviously more attuned with the PSP hardware, Rockstar has topped last year's excellent "Liberty City Stories" with a GTA sporting as many thrills, action and now-famous witty dialogue as the series has ever seen.

Fast, furious and gorgeous to behold... Ultimately, it's the visuals rather than the strategy that will endear Warhammer to the interactive generation, and it isn't stretching things to proclaim Dawn Of War one of the best-looking strategy games we've ever played.

But it's the same story as all the other Ghost Recons online, you need to be a ninja at the game to stand a chance of actually having some fun. That or you could just round up your mates who aren't as hardcore as most of GRAW's following.

A brilliant tracklist, excellent multiplayer modes and Freestyle elements are a hit, but single-player could still be improved.

The Firaxis tweak-stick has hit the main campaign big-time and if you're a veteran returning to Civ III, you'll find the main game more finely tuned and balanced than ever before. [PC Zone]

Leave "Ultima Online" for a couple of months say, and you could be looking at the biggest download since Pamela Anderson's home-video was leaked on to the Internet. [PC Zone]

Conviction moves the series in a couple of new directions, with new elements that are well thought out and polished. It doesn't do anything groundbreaking and sometimes abandons these fresh ideas for much shallower out and out gunning, but it's consistently solid and satisfying throughout.

Not without its issues, but they're so minor they don't stop it from being the best racing experience on Xbox 360. Or of the current generation.

Ni No Kuni is a miracle. Doused in character and constructed with depth, its first half hour is awe-inspiring yet the challenge can carry beyond the hundred hour mark.

These great new combat skills, combined with the clever yet simple introduction of stealth play has boosted the Prince of Persia series to a new high. [PSW]

Incredibly addictive. Unlike "Spec Ops," however, Rainbow Six is a game that, thanks to its replayability, makes it something you'll keep going back to time and time again. [PC Zone]

One quibble comes with the ugly texturing of the player models - perhaps a hangover from the console versions, or maybe just misjudged artistic direction. Either way, they need fixing. And that's about that. [PC Zone]

This new shooter in town didn't just impress us, it blew us away with its gorgeous looks, balanced weaponry and unbelievably fun gameplay. We're now scarred by this illicit encounter, and no FPS experience will ever be the same again. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

A generally stunning package in features and presentation. New mechanics work well but stamina and punch power is inconsistent.

An impressive, feature-complete and more accessible portable edition of this generation's greatest fighter.

All it needs now is a more advanced engine to power a sequel, a more involving sense of training and life in a pair of SWAT shoes... That, and a willingness to continue dealing with the dark underbelly of real world criminality without pulling any punches.

Big, brash, unashamedly daft in parts, this is Stephen Dorff's best role in ages, but he's still upstaged by the beautiful scenery and teeth-grinding action of this masterful shooter. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

Not all of Dawn of War II's bold changes pay off and fans of traditional RTS games might feel left out. But we're glad it made them because at the single-player game's peaks, its a highly strategic and very satisfying experience.

It doesn't shake-up the genere, but C&C3 delivers a solid and well-polished RTS experience that also provides the smoothest and most comprehensive game of the series to date.

It's Burnout 3: Takedown with better and more demanding handling, it's Project Gotham Racing 2 with a higher top speed and even prettier tracks, and it's the previous two fantastic MotoGP games combined with a sensational collection of new tracks that beat those of all other racing games hands down. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

DOA4 over Xbox Live is quite an experience. It succeeds on a technical level, but the real reason that it's such a riot is the game underneath. The enjoyable, solid, beautiful game that is Dead or Alive 4. This is the definitive title in the series and, as far as we're concerned, the ultimate game in its genre. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

Football Manager 2011 is a complete triumph, and as satisfying as a last minute winner in the local derby.

The Two Thrones is quite simply the best Prince Of Persia so far. It builds on what went before and adds a new dimension to the main character.

This was a feature of the first game, but here you can turn even the most peaceable follower of the Light into a bitter and twisted receptacle of evil. Kind of. [PC Zone]

As complete a racing game as you could hope to play. All that's good about the previous Karts, distilled and mixed with a trillion ideas of its own. Excellent.

It's a cracking, clever, and crafty title, packed with surprises and brimming with invention, and a game that makes sure that, once you've completed it, you'll want to go right back to The Sands of Time and play it all over again, if only to spot all those clues that were there all along right from the start. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

As an intelligent and masterful 3D beat 'em up experience, this is as pure as it gets. [JPN Import]